Junior and Summer Art Institute

Summer Art Institute

The Art Effect’s Summer Art Institute (SAI) is a summer art intensive program for youth ages 14-19 designed to help students develop ideas and build skills in the visual and digital arts. The Art Effect’s Summer Art Institute takes high school-aged artists on a deep dive into their chosen medium while building on a foundational knowledge of techniques, elements, and principles of fine or digital art while creating a strong portfolio. High school students interested in pursuing a degree in the arts will meet with college representatives and receive portfolio critiques each session.

Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm
Dutchess Community College – Allyn Washington Center for Art & Science, 37 Gallery Circle, Poughkeepsie

DIGITAL ARTS AND ILLUSTRATION TRACK

Digital Arts & Illustration track is recommended for high school students who are interested in exploring and refining skills in animation, digital painting, narrative creation, concept design, and illustration. Students in this track will take classes including Digital Illustration, Mixed Media Animation, and Human Figure. Students will elevate their artistic knowledge, technical skills, and unique artistic style this summer by learning the power of mark-making, color theory, narrative creation, character design, animation, and contemporary artistic technology. Students will master their skills using various technology including iPads, and professional programs such as Procreate, Adobe Suite, and beyond!

Session 1: 7/8-7/26
Session 2: 7/29-8/16

Junior Art Institute

The Art Effect’s Junior Art Institute takes young artists (ages 11-14) on a deep dive into their chosen medium while building a foundational knowledge of techniques, elements, and principles of fine or digital art.
Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm.
Dutchess Community College – Allyn Washington Center for Art & Science, 37 Gallery Circle, Poughkeepsie.

FINE ARTS TRACK
Fine Arts students this summer will explore drawing, painting, introductory figure drawing, and stop-motion animation! This intensive art course teaches students the various concepts of 2D and 3D art while showing them the many possibilities and outcomes these techniques and materials can offer. This Junior Art Institute track is perfect for students serious about fine art and developing their skill set.

Digital Arts Track
The Junior Art Institute’s Digital Arts track will include instruction in digital arts and illustration, stop-motion animation, and experimental printmaking. Students will learn fine art skills such as value, color theory, composition, and 3D modeling to create original, digital artworks. Learn how fine art elements enhance character designs and narratives! This track is great for students interested in animation, character design, and illustration.

Skills and Techniques

The artwork students produce in the most advanced majors exhibit principles of art, and personal conceptual themes that colleges seek in students applying for arts programs. The foundations majors help define students’ creative direction in preparation for more advanced visual arts instruction. Mediums and techniques may include:

  • Drawing with graphite, charcoal, pastels, pencils, ink
  • Painting with tempera, watercolor, acrylic, oil
  • Sculpture, clay, assemblage, cardboard, paper mache, styrofoam, mixed media, collage
  • Photography, videography, filmmaking, animation
  • Digital painting, media art, sound design, production, editing
  • Composition, color theory, color schemes, proportion, figurative, character design, figure drawing, self-portrait, still life,  landscape, balance, value, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, unity, variety, form, texture
  • Portfolio development, professionalism, studio practice, critique, mentorship, career, vision

The Institute provides one-on-one mentoring throughout the year to support students’ college applications and helps students secure merit-based scholarships to art schools and colleges. Our students have been awarded over $56 million in scholarships to the nation’s finest art schools across the nation. Learn more about the Art Institute here.

Instructors

Instructors are professional visual and media artists who mentor students through projects, encouraging students to build their skills while becoming well-rounded and diversified in the visual and digital arts. They include illustrators, photographers, and exhibiting visual artists. 

Become a member of the Art Institute to enjoy exclusive benefits while supporting The Art Effect’s mission to empower young people to develop their creative voice, shape their futures, and bring about positive social change through visual and media arts. As a member, you will save an additional 5% on classes and Summer Arts Camps, get in early with VIP entry to meet with top arts colleges at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, and receive early access to registration for year-round art courses. Call 845.471.7477 or click here to join today!

Arts Camps

Dutchess and Ulster Art Camps offer a variety of programs that allow children ages 5-11 to imagine, discover, create, and have fun each summer. Young artists explore fine art, digital media art, and performing arts while strengthening their self-confidence, creative thinking, and art making techniques both individually and in a collaborative setting.

Professional teaching artists work with campers in small groups, using the visual, media, and performing arts to foster self-expression and creativity. Young artists are immersed in colors, lines, shapes, textures, fabrics, clay, video, and sound. Camp sessions are bursting with creative activities for young artists to explore. Campers experience a full day of art and activities including 2-D and 3-D sculptures, painting, drawing, music, animation, performance design, puppetry, free art making, and more.

Daily schedules include opening and closing circle, art instruction,  open studio time, snack, lunch, and outside play.  Accomplishments are celebrated at the final showcase, where each child’s family and friends are invited to see the performances, videos, and an art gallery of work that the children created that week.

2024 Dutchess Arts Camp – Poughkeepsie

Monday – Friday, 9am – 4pm
Oakwood Friends School 22 Spackenkill Rd, Poughkeepsie
Week 1: July 8 – July 12
Week 2: July 15 – July 19
Week 3: July 22 – July 26
Week 4: July 29 – August 2

2024 Ulster Arts Camp – New Paltz

Monday – Friday, 9am – 4pm
SUNY New Paltz – 1 Hawk Dr, New Paltz
Week 1: July 29 – August 2
Week 2: August 5 – August 9

Past guest artists and partners

Anne Tjernlund
Avery Engstrom
Jenna Pyzowski
Mary Haddad
Maya Llanos
Miles Cohen
Morgan Suter
Nia Scott
Paper Heart Puppets
Paul Solomon
The Samuel orsky Museum, SUNY New Paltz
The Vanaver Caravan
Zach Reid
ZOI Productions

    Become a member of the Art Institute to enjoy exclusive benefits while supporting The Art Effect’s mission to empower young people to develop their creative voice, shape their futures, and bring about positive social change through visual and media arts. As a member, you will save an additional 5% on classes and Summer Arts Camps, get in early with VIP entry to meet with top arts colleges at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, and receive early access to registration for year-round art courses. Call 845.471.7477 or click here to join today!

    Media/Arts/Design Lab (MADLab)

    madlab artists

    The Art Effect’s Media, Art, and Design Lab (MADLab) engages teens ages 14-19 from the City of Poughkeepsie and helps them develop life and workforce skills in the growing arts and media sectors. Through four after-school sessions and one full-time summer session, MADLab youth earn a wage or stipend as they gain competency while learning about visual art, media art, and design careers. Through youth mentorship, on-the-job learning, and access to materials and equipment, MADLab fosters youth development, facilitates academic and workplace performance, and is a catalyst for community engagement and urban renewal in the City of Poughkeepsie.

    Skills

    Each MADLab session exposes students interested in visual art, creative placemaking, public art, media and design, and more to the creative workforce process by producing collaborative visual arts projects, and learning workplace skills such as time management, team work, leadership, and communication. The summer program has a special focus on public art and creative placemaking in which youth design and produce a public art installation in downtown Poughkeepsie.

    • graphic design
    • painting
    • sculpture
    • digital painting
    • photography (see also; Spark Studios)
    • public speaking
    • leadership
    • workplace etiquette
    • presenting and critiquing

    Students work both independently and in teams on various creative prompts to get the most out of this “earn while you learn” mentorship program. Every semester students work on one client project to develop a professional creative portfolio including logo development, resume writing, and graphic design. MADLab youth who have developed advanced skills, are supported in connecting to outside jobs and internships with businesses and organizations to help provide additional early job experiences in our community.

    Support MADLab youth and contact us to hire a student for your design project today!

    Field Trips and Partners

    The MADLab Program often takes hands-on learning on the road! Through the MADLab program, students work on various projects with and for many local community partners including visiting local galleries, museums and community organizations throughout the year. Trips include; Storm King Art Center, Art Omi, and Bard College. MADLab students have partnered with a number of community organizations including:

    Teachers and Program Staff

    David Wong is a graduate of the arts management program at SUNY Purchase with a degree in commercial art from SUNY Dutchess. David’s background in contemporary sculpture includes working in fine art institutions such as Dia: Beacon and Storm King Art Center. David has been an art department intern for both feature films and music videos, and his work as an educator specializes in creative placemaking. David began with The Art Effect’s as an intern in 2016 working for the 21st Century Project (later called The Empire Program). He has also worked with Spark Studios and ArtsBridge and has coordinated the MADLab program since 2018.

    Programs provided by this agency are partially funded by monies received from Dutchess County, New York State Council on the Arts, in part by the Bailey Foundation, Community Foundations Hudson Valley, Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board (DCWIB), the City of Poughkeepsie, and from Adams Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee supporting The Art Effect’s exemplary programs.